Features

Oakland Elementary School celebrated their annual Festival of Culture on Oct. 17. Students and their families were invited to a potluck dinner featuring dishes from different cultures, followed by an evening of fun games and entertainment.

CANA — St. Paul’s beloved librarian will continue to have an impact on the school and the community where she taught and touched the lives of students for 37 years.
Joyce Slate had enough time in her career to make a generational impact on St. Paul students and on their sons and daughters, as she encouraged reading, sponsored the yearbook, documented the school year with her camera, took children on field trips and threw fundraising events to be able to afford those trips.

FRIES — The Fries Volunteer Fire Department hosted a ranch rodeo and horse show on Oct. 11 and 12 at the Providence School grounds, featuring plenty of competitions and entertainment for visitors of all ages.

Competitors from every skill level galloped into the ring, from stick ponies to racing steeds.

A holiday tradition will come full circle in the City of Galax this year as the annual Community Christmas Chest project is passed back into the charge of the Galax Volunteer Fire Department.
Over the past 30 years, the fundraising project that puts together food boxes for the needy at Christmas, has been tended by the Galax Y’s Men Club, which has fostered a strong increase in community support. This year, the club has decided to give the project back to the organization that originally oversaw it.

INDEPENDENCE — Planning is underway and registration is open for one of the most unique events in Grayson County, perhaps even in the country — the 31st Annual Mountain Foliage Festival and Grand Privy Race.

This year, the Galax Downtown Association (GDA) will still host the city’s annual Halloween celebration, but the merchants’ organization members will make it a community event instead of trying to do it all themselves.

Twin County homeowners may want to keep a vacuum handy this fall in case the most recent insect invader wants to take refuge somewhere cozy.
Virginia researchers studying the kudzu bug have mostly confined their work to the effect of the rapidly spreading insect on row crops, according to Virginia Extension Service and Virginia Tech entomologist Ames Herbert.

It’s official: The Galax Smokehouse has become a popular hangout for many people in the community — perhaps even those who are no longer with us.
Restaurant co-owner and operator Dan Milby confirmed that the downtown Galax business will be featured this weekend on a new episode of “My Ghost Story: Caught on Camera,” a paranormal series on the Biography Channel.

Two winners were chosen to transform themselves through personal training, and The Gazette is following their progress. With less than a month to go, Travis Haynes has nearly reached the end of his 12-week journey, while Treva Osborne has been medically cleared to begin a transformation of her very own.

Three happy babies flashed their winning smiles and dimples on Friday, when they took first, second and third place in voting for The Gazette’s 2013 Beautiful Baby Photo Contest.
This contest is an annual effort to raise funds to support The Gazette’s Newspapers in Education program, which helps to provide newspapers to local schools for educational purposes.

When the mail arrives for soldiers stationed overseas, the contents of the mailbag can make or break the mood at camp that day.
A letter from husbands, wives, parents, children or even a stranger is all it takes to give a soldier that important connection to the home they are fighting for, along with the means to escape their surroundings for a minute or two.

HILLSVILLE — Hookah Hook-up owner Ayman Anwar’s vision for his second Main Street business isn’t hazy at all — he says it’s all about the atmosphere.
The idea to open the smoking lounge next door to his Italian restaurant, Juliano’s, is unique in the Twin Counties, he said. But, he believes a unique attraction is something the town could benefit from.

FRIES — Oral-B has gone to the far reaches of the United States to visit locations named “Manual Road” to promote its fall marketing campaign, which is intended to encourage manual toothbrush users to switch to its new product, the Deep Sweep electric toothbrush.
The company visited Manual Roads in Erath, La.; Bainbridge Island, Wash.; and Standford, Ky.; before making their fourth stop at Manual Road in Fries on Aug. 17.
The nationwide “WOW Experiment” tour is also a chance to film locals for the product’s new commercial.

Locals who have kept up with the new Food Network series “The Shed” will see familiar surroundings on Monday night, as the next episode will chronicle the barbecue team’s visit to Galax in July for the 2013 Smoke on the Mountain competition.

The Rotary Club of Hillsville will observe its 75th anniversary on Thursday.
The club was chartered on Aug. 8, 1938. Club meetings were held at the Hillmont Hotel on Main Street for several years.
Other meeting venues have included Mountain Top Restaurant, Blue Ridge Tavern, the Red Barn, Corner Restaurant, the Tompkins House, Shenandoah Restaurant, Captain Pete’s Seafood Restaurant, Peking Palace and Countryside Restaurant.

MOUTH OF WILSON ― Park officials, volunteers and outdoor enthusiasts gathered at Grayson Highlands State Park on Saturday to introduce the Split Rock Trail, a new 1.3-mile loop trail that offers both hiking and climbing opportunities to the public.

Galax and Independence will both hold National Night Out Against Crime events on Aug. 6.
National Night Out, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, is a community-police awareness event that takes place in areas all over the United States. It is always held the first Tuesday of August.
The events are organized by local police departments, non-profit organizations and volunteer departments. The goal is to increase awareness of police programs in the community, including drug prevention, neighborhood watches, and other crime prevention efforts.